Pirates steal tanks - real world

[Brother in Arms]

I have been wondering what happened with that, I had heard a couple weeks ago they wanted like 20 Million dollars! (said in best doctor evil voice) but now they only want 3million....

Brother in Arms

[Marc]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Dammit, paying them a ransom is just encouraging them. It's the same reason why you don't (theoretically, anyway) negotiate with terrorists.

I've recently read an article where it was recognized that the majority of the shipping companies that have had any of their ships hijacked by the Somalian pirates prefer not to report the aggression and solve the problem in a "more discreet way". Statistically, only one of each three hijacks are reported. The reason seems to be the fear of the shipping companies to see the prices of their insurances increased.

Every month, several ships are hijacked near the Somalian coast. If any information became known is only because the prey of the moment is an important one or the affected company or government can not take care of the problem with the proper discretion.

Ships are hijacked and liberated without the general knowledge because all of the affected parts think they win (or at least not don't lost too much) with an secret agreement. First, the pirates are, of course, happy to receive a ransom. Second, the governments are looking at another place with the hope that the problem could be solved in a civilized and private way without their political (or military) implication and without taking any risk in the always delicate matter of put in danger the hostage's lives. Third we have the companies. They want to preserve their ship, their cargo, hopefully their crew and their current insurance. Fourth we have the crew, that only wants a safe return to home and that obviously prefer to be liberated by the payment of the ransom than with a military intervention (specially if the operation is the kind of rescue of hostages operation in the typical Russian way) . And finally, but not less important, we have the people who arrange the negotiation between the pirates and the shipping company. A discreet, experienced and unemotional law firm in the City of London. Don't imagine an exotic exchange in a remote and dusty African village!

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Brother in Arms

I have been wondering what happened with that, I had heard a couple weeks ago they wanted like 20 Million dollars! (said in best doctor evil voice) but now they only want 3million....

Yeah but now other Somali pirates (wouldn't be surprised if the two groups are linked) are looking like they might get $25 million for a captured Saudi tanker. If the two groups are linked that would certainly help to explain why they are now prepared to take only $3 million for the freighter full of tanks and weapons. They can't offload the cargo and it could get them slaughtered if they play hardball too long.

[ChalkLine]

Somalia's a really, really complex place.

It's not really a good idea to use the term 'Islamist' about Somalia, as its always had Islam as its most basic foundation. Nearly all Somalis are Islamic, and they have a culture that's comfortable with its strictures. Perhaps 'Islamist' could be replaced with 'Conservative' as it kinda means the same thing there.

Somalia has regions, tribes and ethnicities that are far, far less important than the clans. The Big Ten clans can defy 'Warlords' (another non-word) and enforce their will anywhere in the country. Clan based arrangements, like 17th century Scottish Highlanders, trumps all other loyalties. Most marriages are still contracted to ease clan relationships.

The death of Barre and the isolation of the generals created a flux in Somalia exacerbated by typical Cold War meddling from The Big Two. The loss of central control meant that each general was responsible for an area, and frictions arose between them as to who should succeed the central control and end the power vacuum. It started to subside again except that Aideed (a former Barre General) was still a major power, and was alarmed by UN-sponsored Pakistani help for common people that irritated some clan leaders. Aideed, thinking the Pakistanis were undermining him, ambushed some. This was just common practice in Somalia, it told you to watch yourself. Of course, the Pakistanis didn't have to put up with that sort of shit and things got very tense. Enter at this point the US and the loss of control by the Pakistanis of the effort, culminating in the regrettable Olympic Hotel Debacle and the loss of all those lives. (By the way, the Somalis didn't mortar the rangers because they were holding Somali families hostage, not the sort of thing Ridley Scott tells you).

The Islamic Courts arose and Aideed died, stability started to return and the innate conservatism if the ICU meant less piracy, brigandage and so on. Unfortunately, because the ICU gave lip service to Jihadis someone somewhere thought it would be a good idea if they got kicked out. It should be remembered by us westerners that conservative Islamic people don't like Jihad, its usage is usually abused and they're suspicious of projecting old customs on new events. A power vacuum again evolved, the Interim Federal Government which was little more than Ethiopian Somalis (there's a bunch there from the old colonial map-fucking) trying a power grab for their clans so irked everyone with their links to foreign governments that Somaliland and Puntland seceded (under former ICU generals).

This is another cluster-fuck of our own making.

[LAW0306]

Way to go chalk always love to see your point of view keep it coming...If you read our stuff on oz please pipe up if you see something wrong...

[ChalkLine]

Originally Posted by LAW0306

Way to go chalk always love to see your point of view keep it coming...If you read our stuff on oz please pipe up if you see something wrong...

Hi Law! Long time no chat. I hope everything's going well with ya.

What's this stuff about Oz? Is that Targan's thread? I'll mosey over and have a peek.

[LAW0306]

goto DC working group we have come up with a finish more or less up to about 2005 for the T2K world we have Darwin doing alot and have a Mech Brigade in CENTCOM and one under 8th army..check it out for the details mail chico if you have stuff to share he is the lead and editor for us...


also Raes game is still going miss you guys over there...we need some east germans or some russian deserters....

[Targan]

Originally Posted by LAW0306

goto DC working group we have come up with a finish more or less up to about 2005 for the T2K world we have Darwin doing alot and have a Mech Brigade in CENTCOM and one under 8th army..check it out for the details mail chico if you have stuff to share he is the lead and editor for us...

Love your work Law. You know I hold your views in high regard. Really looking forward to the DC Working Group's further views on the US-Australian alliance during the Twilight War. Love to see what Chalkie has to say on the matter too.

[LAW0306]

it was just logical for us in how it worked out ..also i had ported there 4 times know the area and the history and it just worked...

[LAW0306]

On the pirates my unit sent one ship to the bottom in the spring of 04. we were out there patroling captured a 90ft dowd took the crew and sunk it. our DDG sunk a few also with 5 inch gun...very good mission.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by LAW0306

On the pirates my unit sent one ship to the bottom in the spring of 04. we were out there patroling captured a 90ft dowd took the crew and sunk it. our DDG sunk a few also with 5 inch gun...very good mission.

Sweet.

[kato13]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...i-pirates.html


This is the dramatic moment a ransom of $3million was paid to Somali pirates to end the world's biggest ship hijacking.

The canister full of cash was parachuted onto the Sirius Star - observed by the U.S. Navy who provided these images - and the two-month ordeal of the 25 crew, including two Britons, was finally over.

However things went badly wrong for the pirates soon after the drop - they squabbled over how to split the money and then a wave washed off their getaway boat and drowned five of them.

The pirates originally wanted more than £16 million to release the boat and its £65 million load of oil. Eventually they accepted the offer of $3million (around £2million).
Dramatic: The apparent ransom payment is delivered via a parachuted container to pirates holding the Sirius Star

But as they made off they continued to row about the payout.

'Two of them swam and survived. One is still missing.

The weather was so terrible that it blew the boat over, then sank it.

We got five dead bodies and we are still searching for the missing one. The waves were disastrous,' said Farah Osman, an associate of the gang.

It is not known what happened to the money or those who survived.

8<-----------snipped---------->8

[chico20854]

And the Faina, the Ukrainian ship with the 33 tanks aboard, was released last week after $3.2 million was airdropped to the pirates.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...-military-ship

[Matt Wiser]

I'm actually surprised those pirates on that T-72 laden freighter are still breathing. Given as how the Russians can be...ruthless in such matters. I was half expecting to hear on CNN that Russian SF had stormed the ship, eliminated the pirates, and sailed her off. Maybe the shipowners asked the Russians to hold off and see if the Pirates accepted the deal that was offered? If they don't, the threat of Spetsnatz paying them a nighttime visit hangs over their heads.

[Legbreaker]

What's to say that's not exactly what happened and the report is an out of character attempt by the Russians to look less bloodthirsty?

But that's probably just the cynic in me talking....

[chico20854]

or possibly that the Russians can talk big talk but when it comes to pushing someone a little tougher than Georgians or Ukrainians around they can't perform????

[jester]

Originally Posted by chico20854

or possibly that the Russians can talk big talk but when it comes to pushing someone a little tougher than Georgians or Ukrainians around they can't perform????

Or more so they can and are willing or used to be willing to use the sledgehammer in their own backyards but they simply can't project the power out of their immediate region of traditional influence?

And remember Somalia is one big Shitehole. So, where would Ivan get any form of support?

[Marc]

I think that, most probably, given that the tanks were Ukrainian and not Russian, Russians don’t give a damn what could happen to the ship, the cargo and the crew. And Ukrainians have paid the ransom, solving the solution in the same way all the others. Mmmmm…this must be what the wise man call globalization… ¿?¿?